Uploading SR Patches

[Luisangre]

What do you guys think about this?

Greatly streamlining the process of installing SR by uploading all the custom patches somewhere with a brief description so that SR users can conveniently download?

Pros;

Cuts down installation time by about 40% or more.

Greatly decreases chances of making an error on patch/ messing up a file (it can happen to anyone...late night modding back to back repetitiveness endless click click check check).

Cleaner SR installation interface (patches can have their own section/ links).

Makes the process more enjoyable overall...download, install, BUM.

Cons;

Someone new to TES5Edit patching may miss a few things but this is completely optional.

I understand you can learn a lot by making a few patches but for those of us who have done it "oh so much" this should be interesting.

 

We can upload patches for SkyRe and other overhauls as well...let's take this to the next level.

It would take no more than 3-4 people to comfortably upkeep these patches (4 heads revising patches, can't go wrong)

I will happily volunteer.

[mokuro89]

I like the idea, +1 for this

[Annon]

Should only the patches be uploaded or should all the modified esps also be uploaded? I think almost half of the tes5edit work in SR are those esps.

[rootsrat]

I think you guys better wait until Neo releases SR:LE. Much can change in the new version, you never know.

[phazer11]

Also uploading the patches makes the guide mostly redundant part of the whole point was to get you more comfortable making your own patches.

[Smile44]

I quite enjoy making the patches, but IT jargon doesn't come easily to me - I don't know if I will ever get to the point where I can easily see the best way to make a patch or where one needs to be made. I have a vague idea but no confidence that it would be correct and fully functional. Maybe it will come if I redo SR enough times I will get it eventually.

 

So as a learning tool SR is effective but more so for some than others. I get why having the patches pre-made would be a huge time saver as well as the .esps but if enough people become competent then getting mods tested and pulling everything together will in the long run be faster and more effective.

 

On the one hand I would not object to such a resource but personally I prefer to build them myself even if I don't fully understand what I am doing.

 

:confused:

[Aiyen]

There is sadly bound to be some "legal" issues with that somewhere. Some authors do no care or like that their work is made compatible with certain other things, or at the very least that it happens outside of their control.

Some of the changes we make do remove stuff from mods so that they might be replaced with entries from other mods.

I am sure most mod authors would be happy to have more a more compatible mod, but I again do not think it wise that it happens in a 3rd party location. Since if problems do happen down the line people are going to come running to the respective mod pages with issues that the author has no control over.

[statmonster]

What Aiyen says makes a lot of sense.

 

Offering patches to the authors of various mods to put on their pages or offering to host them on a Nexus page if they agree might be a better way to go.

 

The other issue though is that my understanding is that Neo will try to move away from mod-specific patches in SR-LE. For making mods compatible with DLC and Unofficial Updates he is likely to continue the current practice of altering the mod's esp - but these are pretty easy to implement in almost all cases given his very thorough instructions.

 

However in the case of mod-mod compatibility I think Neo is leaning towards a "general patch" like solution to cut down on the number of ESPs required. The issue here (beyond the IP questions) is that uploading a "general patch" will depend on people using it also using all of the mods in SR that contribute to it. What happens if Neo decides on ELFX but you like RLO (or vice-versa)? Backing out the changes from a massive general patch that was uploaded would be a nightmare - it would be much easier to alter it as you build it to leave out those bits he documents as coming from ELFX and adding in your RLO alterations. How many of us do not use every single SR mod that requires patching? If it's a substantial number then the time required to build and get permissions to host such a patch might not be worth the effort.

 

Or maybe it's just that I'm picking out the negatives because I'm generally skeptical of the approach.

[Luinithil]

Haven't we had this discussion before some 2 months back? The legal permission and hosting issues were deemed to be too much of a time sink to make uploading patches worth it, from what I recall.

[kryptopyr]

I'm generally of the opinion that making patches available is okay and doesn't violate an author's rights so long as the patch depends upon the original mod being installed. For my own mods, I've generally taken the approach of making patches available without seeking permission from the respective authors. So long as users are still required to download the original mod, I don't see the harm in it. It's really just free advertising and providing a little more exposure and compatibility for those mods. I've never had a complaint, but of course that doesn't mean that every author will be okay with it. Chances are you would never hear a complaint from any of the authors, but I would certainly respect their wishes if any of them contact you and ask that you remove their mod from the patch.

 

The only permission I'd be really concerned about is Neo's, since he's put a tremendous amount of work into making SR and providing the directions to make the patches. He may prefer to see SR remain, in part, a learning tool for creating patches and working with the various modding utilities. As far as the general patch, I don't see the problem with uploading a file that requires users to install all of the mods included in the patch. Yes, it certainly won't appeal to everyone, but so what? Just make it VERY clear in the description which mods (and which specific files within those mods) are required. 

 

However, I would not upload a replacement .esp without the author's permission. If a mod contains only an .esp then you're providing a complete replacement for that mod which would definitely require permission.

[Luisangre]

Good points all around.

I curiously wait for what Neo has for us :]